


Weep for Magic

by EnidZsasz



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Demihuman, Demis, F/M, Fluffy moth people, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Moth people, Mothlo, Rey/Kylo Ren - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, everything is reylo if you try hard enough, rey/ben solo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:01:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnidZsasz/pseuds/EnidZsasz
Summary: (My Mothlo contribution) Rey is a moth Demihuman, one of the rarest Demi's out there as human beings have found a way to completely rip the magic out of demi's like her by murdering them. Extracting blood, bones, and other viscera in order to fuel their spells. Humans unless they come from Demi's have no magic, and thus a long time ago DragonDemi's helped to create a sword that the king of humans could use to channel magic. Only this blade was abused and now all demi's are either slaves or part of the Rebellion. After an incident Rey must flee to the Rebellion and the so called Dark Lord with this blade in order to save her life, and the life of her friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This first part is just the set up, I'll be making more of the story in the next chapter, there is a LOT to unpack story and world wise. Because as I have stated I am INSANE and can't stop myself from doing this sort of world building stuff. Its kinda needed as unpacking it all via story can get clunky and some things get left out. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS. This is just my own resource for the world to keep as consistent as possible. I am so sorry for writing all this with no actual reylo to show for it, but I promise it will come!

_Demi Human Research_

Created by,

BRENDOL HUX

Now many may consider this research into the area of taboo, many advocacy groups have recently cropped up, but this is nessacary. Demihumans, shortened to Demi, are just that, INFERIOR humans. Or in the case with some species, Demonic. Many demis are stronger faster and can hold onto stores of magic innately some say, that they just are better then humans. But this is not the case as I will point out with my research here. Keep in mind that while demis can and often do look like humans they are not human. While some do carry magic they can not always use it as it is actually a part of their nature. 

 

Bull Demis

 

Bull or cow demis are usually large and cow like and are among the most common of demi types as they are easy to breed. They carry two large longs and a large breast bone. With long arms that when standing on two legs that can drag the ground when standing they often walk with four legs. These demis during my dissections actually carry two brains, the large cranial brain and a secondary one near the base of the spine. The use for this appears to be 'ancestral' memory. Bull demis can pass down the faces of their masters to their children and even whole memories. Damaging said secondary brain might become necessary as time goes on as many second generations often escape. Though third and fourth generations stay it is unknown as to their minds and memories stored into this brain. They can be intelligent, though most seem passive it is necessary to ensure these demis do not learn anything human as they learn fast and all their children and children's children shall know of it. Not typically utterly magical, they are only known to be able to make crops grow better when left to tend to them. 

Covered in fine, to shaggy coats depending on breed, their feet and hands are human in appearance though the feet are split into just four toes with thick nails and callouses on the bottom. Though many shy away from such a thing due to their human look, their meat tastes well when seared and served with wine. Even having a game taste when fully domesticated. 

 

Dog Demis

 

Not to be confused with their wild counterparts dog demis are the most common of demi types. Usually used as guards or labor they can be anywhere from fully human sized or to the size of a human baby. These creatures when more tied to their wild roots walk on four legs, though they have been bread to walk on two legs. They often are heralded and praised for mocking their masters when pampered. Some even treat them as secondary children or have them watch their children. In the case with large ones they are used as guards in place of humans. With large protruding faces, depending on breed, they two are covered in fur though this too is dictated by breed. Their hands and feet only end in four fingers with no thumb, and claws. Usually intelligent, though some of the smaller breeds can be quite the idiots, they can be used as general labor. Not magical in nature at all and practically useless. 

It is not advised to consume them, their meat is typically greasy and ends up hard on the digestive. 

 

Wolf Demis

 

As a counterpart of dog demis these creatures remain elusive and possibly mostly gone, highly intelligent they are needed to be exterminated. One of the more magical of the 'mundane' demis these creatures are able to vanish and use magic in order to hide themselves in their surrounds. So their true numbers are unknown. They are known however to attack caravans and kill humans whenever possible. They do not however kill demis and usually ferry them out into the old kingdom, called the dark lands now for the King that rules it. I have only seen preserved corpses of these as they remain utterly elusive and do not ever attack larger groups. Looking like dog demis they have a larger and sharper snout and teeth, and five 'fingers' on their hands and feet. 

None I know, or have known have tasted them.

 

Horse Demis

 

These demis are among the least human looking demis among I have personally seen. Usually just human torsos on top of a horses body, however they are highly intelligent and must be treated carefully otherwise they can and will react violently. They do not allow human riders, and often are seen as a part of the Black King's calvary, with smaller demis riding on their backs feeding arrows, or firing them alongside these demis. These demis are not typically domesticated, and I have only seen them as a train for the King on celebrations. These ones were purely white and held under tight control, decoration only quite the disgusting behavior as these beasts could be useful if trained. It appeared as those those were blinded, leaving them reliant on their masters. Known to use magic to enhance their combative abilities like archery. 

None I know, or have known have tasted their meat. 

 

Avian Demis

 

I have only seen a single preserved corpse of this type of demi and they are typically thought of extinct though there are rumors of them and colonies within the Black King's lands. This specimen was as long as I am, and held a wing span double my length with sings for arms. Having two claws on the wing, and a human face. This one had a mask on display along with other things on it leaving them as likely intelligent. It is a sad thing to see them hunted to nothing, as I would have liked to research them. Tales say they are much like Wolf demis in their ability to use magic, though all tales typically have them as pranksters or malicious minded in their works and interactions with humans. 

 

Dragon/Lizard Demis

 

These creatures are only known in tales and I have never seen any kind of verified specimen or bones. Told in tales they are slated as highly and utterly intelligent and are thought to have laughably have created humans. It is known that they created the Blade of Ash, which I have only seen. Wielded by the Ashen hero this blade is highly magical in nature These creatures were said to look dragon or demonic in nature and from artist period paintings make them look truly demonic. There must be ties to demons and these creatures as the similarity to them and demons as told of are too similar to be a coincidence. There might be some with the Black King, though that is another thing to consider. It is known that they were very powerful in magic. 

 

Moth Demis

 

Among the rarest and most powerful of the living demis these creatures are usually killed on sight for the power they hold. It is more advised to create a stable breeding system such people who only kill them are short sighted. They are better to be used to as magical farming so that we have a stable source of magic. I have personally be able to examine several in various stages of life. From egg, to pupa, to the child, and adult. These are very strange demis to be sure, and among the most I researched. Coming from the tropical region of the world they are also among the most well researched and intelligent that I have personally seen. The Black King is one of these demis and his history is well known to me. The Black King was used to extend the life of the King of the time, a foolish prospect to be sure, as this allowed the Black King to kill our King, and to kill the Ashen Hero of the time. This took place when I was a lad however so these demi's are very long lived, and could be immortal. 

These demis go through a fairly complicated life cycle, from an egg, which are quite delicious, to a small pupae, to a humanoid creature, into their full form. It is amazing to beheld truly. Their worm like babies attach themselves to female breasts and remain their, females are shown in art from explorers to hold slings over their children keeping them safely to their chest. After this pupa detaches it forms a hard carapace that then slowly turns and changes from this into a truly humanoid looking creature. As a tiny green and very wrinkled human like creature these things have thick 'buds' on their back where their wings go, and typically spent seven to eight years in this state growing, then go through the grandest of transformations. I have only seen this once, and it was truly a thing to behold. 

Once 'old' enough they create a 'magical' barrier and this can take from a single hour to three days from reports. Though those that go through the shorter one are typically weak and die quickly. Such a shame to be sure, it is advised to take care of these creatures far better and not just kill and harvest those that are come across as is the norm. Disgusting behavior to be sure, they are better to be farmed out for their use in magic. This last pupation determines the color and shows them as the Black King is. With humanoid hands which are covered in fine fur that goes to thick wool ending just under the armpit and shoulder. The neck has a thick ruffle which goes down the center of the chest in males though not females. Their torsos for the most part are sans this wool leaving them with a very human appearance. Their feet and legs are covered in this wool, and their feet end in three claw like toes. Typically greens, browns and such they have large wings of the same colors as their wools. They also have antenna which follow the coloration, and act as ears, 

Females are very much more smaller then males, and far more agile in the air. Males are broad and powerful and from what I've seen with the Black King can lift a whole horse into the air. They have a rich sort of history and even hold deities and such. They said to have come from the sun and moon, which due to loneliness came together at sun set created two children, but a great wind separated the two. One was left in a desert leaving him blackened in color. The parallel between this tale and the Black King is quite similar. While the other was left in deep shadow where only the silver of the moons light touched her. I have been looking for a white one, but this is utterly unknown in all that I have seen. These two traveled, and found a great tree and ate of its fruit and found each other there. From their lovemaking it is said by them and their tales to have created the entire world and all its animals. 

They had large worm like creatures that they spun silk from, and this silk is died in the diet of such a create. These textiles are extremely rare and more valuable then gold. Only the King has such a cloth and it is only a small sash. It is said that the sheath of the Sword of Ash is made with this silk though only having seen the sword from afar I can not be assured of such a manner. These are probably the best of the demis and confuse me, as they were only discovered late, only two hundred years ago on the date of this writing. 

These demis seemed to have coexisted with a lizard like creature that spits acid and acts as a natural predator. They typically eat flesh, though they are known to eat a large fruit as well, making their homes and nests into these trees. These fruits I only have second hand knowledge of, they look spiky on the outside with thicker shells, and a thick white inside with a great many black seeds inside. It as described tastes like cinnamon and sugar, possibly with nutmeg. These are used sometimes in tales when a female mother dies, and there are none there to take care of her children as a sort of bottle. Their mythological tales say the baby 'gods' suckled in such a fruit before being blown away by the winds. 

They have a very detailed mating ritual, which included thick flights of such creatures. I would have liked to have seen this, however with the knowledge of their almost utter genocide this will never happen in my lifetime. The males build up a sweat, and this causes the females to react, during sun sets the males fly out and females soon follow. Smelling and licking at the temples, necks, and chests of males. I suppose if they 'like' such a male they latch onto the male as they make a dive and then come up together to fly off into a private mating area. If not they break away and continue searching. From the tales it was said that if two males or females like a single one, combat from everything to actual blood sport to historical knowledge to dancing even. 

Perhaps the most controversial to most to harvest or to eat I have only consumed eggs of the creatures which hold no magical properties themselves. Usually whenever one is found or captured they are killed and harvested for every portion of their body no matter how young. Again this is better left as not something to do as they are better to be used to farm magic. Magic which is necessary in order to destroy the Black King. It is a shame to have such a matter done to such creatures, and I will be sending my son out to get a male and female specimen in order to start my own farm. These things came from the south, in a island chain in a thick very warm and rainy area though there are none in their homeland anymore as far as I have seen. Scattered out and through the world, it hopefully will happen soon and we no longer have to worry about magic once we have a stable population.  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// I am so sorry for not just diving in! This world is basically mythological, there are both animals and demihumans. Only a few demi species and humans can breed together, mostly the wolf or 'dog' ones. Humans are basically wolf demis sans everything. YES, this is furries wet dream and i am sorry. But humans were a 'mistake' from dragons and wolfs coming together and trying to form a relationship. Basically using magic to try to breed, this created humans and both species were like 'sounds cool to do' so humans became a thing. Almost all other demis were created mostly by dragons, screwing around say for the moth/avian demis. Who are in the same vein as dragons. (think of it like various species NOT RACE of humans during the beginning of our history, think neanderthals) Wolf demis are considered the the finest creation and humans at first were thought of mostly as pets but they breed faster then ALL demi species. Most only can breed once every five years at most, due to that it takes around a full year or more for most to grow in the womb. Usually only one to two children, and yes this is a thing done by dragons in order to ensure no hardcore population growth. Humans were able to get past that just by being a kind of 'mistake' and not killed right off as pity cause they were seen as so weak.  
The inversion happened with the First Ashen Hero, who was presented the sword make from dragons and such in order to harness magic. This left him powerful, and allowed him to slaughter demis wholesale and humans just took control. Dragons fled into the earth to try to find a way to stop this and just havent been seen since then. This is about a thousand years ago, so no, moths had no dealings with it at all. They are separated by a VERY violent ocean that has a lot of storms. But once discovered and therefor you know their very magical nature is known, nothing stopped humans from coming and slaughtering them for their magic.  
Avians still exist on tops of mountains and such and tend to avoid all contact with everyone.  
Ashen Hero using magic basically put his 'soul' out there and has been jumping body to body since then. He hates all demis and wants to destroy them all. what happens is that without magic the 'body' falls to ash the sword is able to stall this, but he also needs someone who actually is part demi in order to do this. Now that a lot are dead he has to move bodies quite frequently.  
Magic is used in a LOT of places, and thus is said to be needed a lot. (its not really, just the easiest way out)


	2. Simple to Compilcated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has a secret that she can't share. She has various friends in the Capital city and lives her life mostly working from job to job and as a beggar. Rarely pick pocketing and only doing that during celebrations. She can't risk being found. She can't ever risk being found, this is what she knows without a doubt.

Rey grinned down at the gathered children, a few adults kept a careful eye towards them, but otherwise their parents continued their shopping. "Now the great Ashen hero rose up again," she said, raising her hands to the fascinated kids as she told a story. "To raise his trusty blade, and to strike out at the Black King. The black trembled in fear, he was already half dead from the fight with the King." Rey wobbled a bit standing up and acting out a bit. "But the Black King was strong, so very strong and he was able to use magic of darkness to shroud the entire area in thick fog. No one knows what happened in the fog, but after it passed the Black King was gone, into the Old Kingdom grounds calling all demihumans to him. With the Ashen hero gone, only to rise again. But the Ashen Hero was gravely wounded, and now seeks a new hero to fight the Black King and end his rebellion and reign of terror!" She held her hands up. "Maybe....YOU!" she poked one little girl who went down into a fit of giggles. "OR YOU!" she pointed to a young boy who grinned broadly. "Will be the next Hero to the world!" with various claps and excited cheers from the children and adults. 

She was passed only a few items of food, mostly cheep fare, hard boiled eggs, a sausage roll and a single dainty boiled sweet. She thanked all the children who gave her food bowing to them, as they went back to their parents. A guard smiled as he approached her and she got up to move out to hopefully find some daily work that would be warm and feed her for the night. She had several places she could go, one of them was Maz's wool shop, where she worked to card wool and spin it. Maz really liked it when she spun, and it was a mark of pride to Rey that several people fawned over her fine yarn. But the guard was holding out a palm sized pie towards her. "Here, I my mother made pies today and I made sure to grab you one." he told her. 

Rey inhaled it, with the guards chuckle as she licked her fingers free from any and all crumbs. The guard was chuckling quietly at her and with all the dignity she had in herself straightened herself licking her lips free of the sugary and spicy mix that she really did crave. "You like the Apple ones best?" he asked her, and from his pocket pulled out another wrapped in a small stained cloth. 

"No! Its okay Sir Damereon!" She waved her hands, but he just grabbed them and put the pie into her hands with a smile. 

"I don't like apple, you're doing me a favor." he soothed, and moved away from her. Looking up at his back Rey pushed the pie into her clothes and thanked whatever god or goddess was listening for the cold weather. Usually she swealtered under all her layers but refused to pull them off. Everyone assumed she was from some religious sect and tended to like her because she wasn't screeching it like the others in the city at every corner. Some of them had women and men all heavily clothed no matter the weather, Rey however had a reason. But now was not the time to focus on that she was heading towards Maz, hopefully she had a new shipment in and she could have a nice place to work with the promise of food. She always felt hungry, but for someone like her, she couldn't risk any permanent place. 

Coming into the more textile area of the city, with various clothing shops and a lot of shops proudly having various cloths and such in intricate hand painted patterns. Rey slipped towards a smaller shop among others that held yarns, and sighed in relief. There was a boy on a donkey cart unloading massive sheets of wool and Rey quickly slipped into the house and without a word set to work. Finn, grinned towards her and Maz sighed in relief. "Good girl thank you!" Maz called, dealing with three wealthy looking women looking for embroidery threads. Finn payed the young boy, and went to work with Rey. 

"Its like you have a sixth sense!" Finn joked towards her, Rey smiled at him and started to card the wool he was going over. It had already been washed and had most of its natural oil pulled off to be sold. Creating a long tube was easy and Maz quickly took her place leaving Rey to set herself to the spinning wheel, feeding a steady stream of undyed yarn into the wheel with care. Sometimes Maz would have to leave to deal with customers, but Rey had built up enough space in order to deal with such a thing. She had several long hanks of unbleached, and undyed thread that can be turned into thicker yarn for knitting, or dyed in vibrant colors for thread for the ladies that frequented Maz's shop now that Rey worked there. They were coming to her since Rey's thread making skill seemed to surpass everyone else in the city, and Rey tried not to feel proud at that. 

They actually worked very fast considering things, leaving it barely noon by the time Rey had spun out all the wool leaving Finn to collect her work to take out to a dyer just outside the city. Dyeing was a harsh process and often smelly leaving it outside the city to ease everyone's noses. The Dyer already had a lot of work there and it was done, leaving him to bring back a load of Rey's now dyed spinning work in vibrant colors of all kinds on Finn's hand cart. People flooded into the shop with the new stock, leaving Rey and Finn to head up the stairs of the shop into the home of Maz and Finn. "Thanks so much for all your help Rey." he told her, preparing a meal for all three of them as Maz dealt with all the people eager for Rey's work. 

The meal of porridge, laden with meats made the shop smell wonderful. Rey passed Finn the pocket pie, who cut it in half handing Maz the other half as Rey ladled some of the meal into thick ceramic bowls for all of them. Maz sighed happily eating the sweet, as Rey gobbled down her meal resisting the urge to get more or to lick the bowl. Finn eased that urge, finishing himself and getting seconds for the both of them. Maz old as she was only ate a single bowl, and smiled towards Rey. "Rey, look, I know you do not like..." Maz began and Rey's heart rate skyrocketed. "Being tied down to a place, I am telling you this home is always open to you." 

"I... I... I can't." Rey managed carefully. Finn took her hand and squeezed it. 

"I understand you are scared, I don't know why, but child," Maz put a old withered hand on her shoulder. "I will not press you, I don't know where you sleep, but if you do need a space keep here in mind. Please, you have made this place and out lives better." Rey swallowed down a very choking portion of her meal and nodded just barely to show that she was listening. Her heart was hammering in her ears, despite the pride of her work Rey could not ever risk sleeping near people. Maz had been struggling before Rey got there, she was getting old and just having an orphan show up in Finn she was about to close up shop. But Rey showed up, and did more then just show promise, Rey had a skill that seemed to be a very part of her being. Quickly the business started booming, leaving Rey with a steady source of food. She never asked for coin, that too was too risky. Maz had more then often offered to pay her, Rey just needed a steady source of food, so always denied the lure of coin. 

She wasn't sure why she felt coin was risky, but something in her told her that she could be tracked by it, and some of the coins she had seen seemed to emanate some sort of thing that drew her in. Those were gold coins, she stayed away, anything that 'lured' her she stayed away from. Copper was fine, that never seemed to have this thing on them, just silver and gold. Maz shook her head and let Rey finish her meal before she fled out and away from the shop, and to where Rey begged for coin. It was a bit close to the slave market, and people often felt bad about buying demi humans letting her have a few copper coins to buy things she needed. 

Rey frowned at the slumped forms of the various demihumans chained up or in cages, rich people fawned over rare colors of tiny little dog-like ones. Some farmers held out for the larger cow like demihumans. She had only seen something horrible once, that left her anxiously combing her eyes over the market. It was a tiny little green child who never stopped screaming until he died. She didn't know what drew her to him, but a thick throb inside of her told her to try, try everything to save him. Warily following the throng of human mages that had grabbed the baby she watched from a high window as they killed it. Taking the poor thing apart piece by piece until it was nothing but bottles waiting to be used in their magics. It hurt, and still hurt to this day. But she couldn't risk her own life to much, otherwise she would end up just like that baby. 

Rey was a moth demihuman, living in one of the most dangerous places for her kind. In the Captial City of Takodona, where the magical 'college' was, and where everyone who would want her dead, lived. In the farms outside they didn't much care, but she was here and couldn't just leave without cause. Maz liked and needed her, and she liked Maz. A few rich people passed by with a whimpering puppy demi in their arms and dropped a few coppers into her fabric bowl that also served as another head cover during the thick snowstorms that sometimes hit the city. Rey didn't tuck them into her clothes until the people were long gone, it seemed to make people happy that she didn't just pocket them immediately. There was no other such luck come nightfall and she slipped towards a food vendor to buy her next meal of a few sausges before heading to her home. 

The city through the decades and years had often spilled it out from its walls leaving it a relatively circular sort of land with several 'rings' of parts of the city. In the innermost ring was the castle and other royal houses. Then the next richer merchants and some inns for traveling royals, after that was the main portion of the city and the thickest ring. This is where all the markets and home were in various 'wedges' of the city. Almost like a wheel, and where Rey made her home. On the outside of this were 'slums' as sated by a lot of people where the poor lived and worked and where the final wall was. More homes and various places were on the outside of this wall like the dyers already spilling the city out from the comfort of walls. From Rey's home it looked like a maze of streets and homes with shops until the core of the city. She stood on a crumbling tower that no one bothered about or used. Several homeless beggars like her used it as a home, but she was the only one to use the top portion above everyone else, and was the only one who probably COULD reach the top. 

With a careful glance around Rey, climbed easily to her home and bed to stare down at the city. Rugs, broken pots, her staff, and other various things she had sat around her in her home. She had built up a tent of cast off things to keep warm while she slept and to keep herself hidden from anyone doing roof running. Not a one of them bothered her, but then there were also the sharp iron spikes that were all around the top of the tower. The moon was covered by clouds, and no one was on the roofs, she pulled down the thick robes on her back, shivering a bit in the chill of the air and stumbled upwards on her wings to land in her home. She pulled off more layers once safe from prying eyes, stretching and fanning out her wings. They were large, and could easily be mistaken for a thick pelt under the robes, with a almost pure white color with pale markings that could only be seen in bright light. 

Pulling off her hood, and hat under that she ran her hands through her long abused antenna to right all the hairs on it. It too was white, and along with all the fur and wooly bits on her she sighed in relief as she finished and yanked off more layers to groom herself. What could be mistaken for a thick wool scarf her neck ruff of wool itched almost all the time under her concealing layers and she ran her hand through it to the skin underneath. She didn't have nails like humans did, but her hands she often left uncovered say for a wrap to keep the thick wool down on her arms. Her hands were covered in a fine layer of fur, and could be mistaken for gloves thankfully enough, and despite the strangeness of keeping 'gloves' on while spinning Maz allowed it once her skill showed through. It was like Rey could feel each fiber in the wool, or the rarer cotton, linen, and silk, fibers Maz got and could deftly twist it into fine strands. Like she could control the hairs on her fingertips to smooth out the fibers so that they never broke. 

Rey moved her wings, stretching and fanning her body so that the long unused muscles and such could be eased from their ache. From the thick clouds in the sky she'd have to carry her staff for the rest of year until spring since it would snow. Next came her boots which she never liked and wished she could get rid of, but this is the most needed part of her human costume for her feet ended in three claws. The boots with their padding made her look like she had human feet. Other Demihumans were not lucky, they were inhuman and easily spotted. Rey however? The few things that made her look different were able to be hidden and perhaps the only difference in her face were too wide of eyes. But that seemed to make her earn more coin on occasion or more easily trusted, and with just that she could hide her wool and furred body, and her antenna. 

Pulling covers to to body, Rey pilled herself among thic old rugs, and scrap quilts warmed by her own body heat and the rising heat from the small fires and coal burners that the other homeless people used below her. Hot air rose, she knew that though some people didn't seem to know that and sighed before she fell into a warm sleep for the night. 

* * *

 

Hux swallowed a bit as he approached the so called Black King, though they were friendly it was always a wary sort of thing for him. The creature was large, almost twice his size easily, and was nearly always in a foul temper. If he wasn't dealing with near constant attacks to gain more slaves for the humans, he was dealing with his own personal problems that seemed to plague the creature. One of the rare moth demis he was clad entirely in near black wool and fine fur in places with also thick black robes and burnished black armor for the effect. He stood off the side as he went through troop formations and guards for the border, there hadn't been any forary into the lands for a few years now, and they were now building high towers where they could keep watch. Right now the walls were built around the main city here, fully thick and high enough to repell any known segie machine, as well as fully covered for the guards to avoid any covert sort of attack on the guards. 

All the minor towns also had their own walls, though many did not see the point of it, the Black King made it a 'law' for every place to have its own defense. No matter how minor town, even just single homes, all were required to have SOME defense to slow any attackers. Hux saw the point of it, though some did not. Playing for defense instead of attacking would make more humans like him be on their side, its why he did not send out armies, only single spies to help free slaves. Having long established lines of underground and over round rings that ferried out demis into this kingdom. The generals left, leaving the King to turn to him and stare him down. With nearly black eyes as well it left him looking truly like some of the religious depictions of the kings of hell. 

"Hux, you have news?" he asked, and Hux bowed his head speaking to the floor.

"Yes sir, there rumors that the Ashen Hero is choosing a new vessel soon." Hux kept his head bowed as the King snorted out a breath. The last time it had only been a single attack just the Ashen Hero and the King fighting, leaving the Ashen one completely demolished. His vessels were getting weaker and weaker and weaker while the King seemed to only grow in power. Hux witnessed it, it had left the Ashen one completely enraged to the point he had nearly impaled himself in a effort to do any sort of damage to the Black King. 

"I do not know why, he should just give up." the king before him sighed, and Hux relaxed himself. He wasn't into the near constant state of frustration and seemed to only be tired. "Hux, did I not tell you we are friends?" he demanded and Hux felt himself shrug. Calling the Black King by anything other then honorifics was something he did not feel comfortable with, the creature had saved his life, and did not care about the horrors that came from Hux's father who he viewed as a monster. Thankfully the man was dead and he was all to happy to have killed him to save a little girl who fled and was never to be seen again more the likely. He felt sick just thinking of the child of being hurt and could only hope that she had made it, and was alive somewhere in hiding. 

"You have Kylo Sir." he stated and looked up to the dark creature who only shook his head. Briefly the very large and broad wings fanned out, and he had to stop himself from flinching. It was almost a natural response to the large creature mantling over him. Kylo Ren had made his own name supposedly it meant something in his own tongue from his demi specie, Hux did not wish to ask for it, as the King often went into a quasi rage over it. The subject of his demi species was always a touchy subject and anything to deal with the past and most in particular to the very much lost culture. The King just sighed and ran a hand through his hair, that was a thing in common between the two of them, hair, though Hux kept his short. 

"We need to prepare for attacks have your spies said anything of..." he dropped off with a growl. 

"No sir. I have not heard word of the one I helped." he stated calmly. Both were looking for the child, or any word of her destruction. It was more important to Hux then anything else, and only seemed a minor irritation to the King. It happened not long before the two met, while Hux was being executed in fact along with other captured demis from this 'rebellion'. Though now it was a nearly thriving kingdom. Place in the place were the old kingdom was from the humans, it was captured and all the humans that held slaves and were not explicit allies were cast out. Hux had been sent out by his father to find moth demis and he had found one in a group of truly horrible people. If he was pretty much circumspect of demis before he had quickly became a rebel after he saw what they were doing. 

His father almost had raced out once word reached him of the little girl who has just barely went through the second transformation showing her wings and colors of pure white. She looked so fragile, and everyone there believed she would die before it was a scant hour in the transformation. He fed her, and was able to teach her a few words, and when he father got there, the sort of smile the older man had? Hux stabbed his father in the back, and quickly killed the slaver with him negotiating before quickly getting the girl out and away, causing a distraction as she fled. The humans had quickly corralled him and the others he freed and were going to kill them all, before the Black King and a small army had brought out and saved all their lives. Unfortunately the girl could not be tracked, having mostly flown out and away leaving no track to find. It had left the King both utterly in a rage, and very overjoyed. 

Hux though had shown a keen abilty to find and keep spies all together leaving him a good asset compared to his utterly human nature. Through these he learned of attacks, and slave trains for the market leaving only the breeding population within the main city of Takodona as a way to get their slaves for the most part. A few single slaves existed in farms and some stayed for their elders to weak to be moved and others stayed in order to help one day free them all from the influence of humans. If only they could create a mass exodus of all demis, but then the 'dog' demis were ones that never seemed to betray much, to breed out by human kind to be anything else. Hux sighed and bowed before the King his mission done for the day. Likely he would be going out to train in combat, and was unparalleled by any in that manner. Using magic, to shield from arrows he was probably the greatest war asset in the entire kingdom. Hux cast a small prayer upwards that the little white moth girl lived and was still living well and whole. If only because he had never seen another moth, and wanted to preserve the entire species. Not like his father in a farm, but to seem them as they must have been in their homeland which was all but ravaged of all of them. 

Rumor was there were hundreds with the Avians, but those mountains were near impossible to get to, and not even other demis could get past the avians defenses despite trying. Only an envoy from them would help them to get knowledge of the mountains and possible numbers of moths and avains left. 


	3. Running Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Finn are shopping for Maz during the three days of Fall celebration, which is also taking place while the Ashen Hero is looking for a new person to help him slay the Black King.

Rey grinned towards Poe, who was walking in front of her, clearing snow from the entire days fall as he went along. Several other guards and various others were also clearing it out, making paths and ways through the city though leaving the slums and outside to almost fend for its selves. Tomorrow the three day Fall Festival would start, and everyone was, and had been preparing for the three day feast that would overtake the city. Rey while chilled still was warm and snug in her little area as more homeless people piled into the tower together creating fires and a few small ovens to feed themselves. Leaving her sometimes too hot to bare, but that was fine with her. She wasn't freezing, that much was okay with her. With a few more layers, on her person, a long cloak found discarded in an ally she was even warm now with bit of rope keeping the thick material closer to her body and not flapping around in the breeze. 

Poe huffed, and pushed the snow out from the ally they were in to where massive teams of draft horses and a few large cow-like demihumans could push it outside the city walls creating a huge hill down the walls on a side. Children often carried sleds out to it, screaming happily with the large hill of snow they could skid down. Rey never attempted it, it was too risky, however the infectious joy of children who were already waiting excitedly along the alleys and wall was infectious. There wouldn't be any wool shipments for the rest of the year, and instead she would be getting something really great. Huge lines of silk from somewhere, allowing her to really showcase her skill in spinning. Right now she was meeting Finn in the market to buy some carcass and various other things so that the three could celebrate the Fall Festival together. Maz didn't offer her to stay again, making Rey very relieved that she could still make her way back to her little home. Now of course she could even travel the roof tops holding her boots in one hand while she got to the top, no one would think to try with the building up of snow and ice on the roofs making them all but impassible. Rey's little three toed feet however could find purchase, even in thick ice though that sent icy pain like shivers up her legs. 

"REY!" Finn called to her, thickly swathed himself in a hand knitted scarf and hat he bounded up to her to fall in line by Poe and other guards to push the snow out of the city. The guards now were collecting the bits coming off the large plows into lines that other plows could push out. Shop keepers and residents were doing their own parts sweeping small bits of snow into these lines, and cleaning up debris that came off during the night. Rey thankfully with a bit of work got her shelter more secured and stable with some wood so that the crumbling of the top of the tower would be shielded on all windward sides. "Are you going to sled with some of the adults? Some people are holding a contest for who goes the furthest!" she shook her head as finally the market started to open, it was going to be a long morning of bargaining. But first, Rey slipped away from Finn and used her few coppers to buy a some hot meat pies, three of them and handed one to Finn as he blinked over a few dead geese. She quickly bounded off to Poe and he grinned down at her. 

"Thanks kiddo." he told her, "who's the friend?" he asked her as he devoured the pie. Rey bit into her own hissing at the still hot filling as it scalded her tongue. 

"Finn! He is my friend!" she told him swallowing down another bite. "I'm gonna help him get things to Maz." Poe whistled. 

"So you are the girl who everyone is calling is a master spinner." Rey felt some heat come to her cheeks and rubbed her scarf over her face to cover it, and to wipe away some of the oil on her face. Poe chuckled and popped his neck devouring the last bit of his pie along side Rey. "Im wondering though, where do you spend your nights? Its off my route to be sure." 

"I... uhhh, spend it near the sla-demi... mar...ket." she told him lowly and prepared herself to bolt. Humans did not always see buying demihumans as slavery, and some of the guards were being told to prosecute those that were calling it as such. As a way to curb the rebellion of demis and try to weed out those that were ferrying them out to the Dark Lands. She shivered preparing herself to run. 

"Ah, people feel guilty about buying slaves give you some money." he stated smiling at her, Rey blanched further taking a step away. "Rey," he dropped his voice down. "I don't like the market, I'd like it to vanish too." she couldn't trust that he was telling the truth. It all could be a ploy. "Really, I don't." Poe pulled out a small bit of paper from his clothes and offered it to her, it was blank, and she just blinked at it as she took it. There was something off about it, like the silver and gold coins, but not like a 'lure' sort of thing. No, this felt like it was 'hiding' something in the paper that was in her hands. "Remember those stories you tell those kids." he winked to her, and went back to work as she slowly made her way back to Finn. Shoving the paper deep into her clothes Rey shook herself, before heading back to Finn who was trying to bargain down the price of a large goose ready to be roasted. He handed her bag of coins with that 'lure' on them. 

"Go find some good stuff okay?" he asked and turned back to the stall keeper with a deep frown. Rey found some large potatoes, buying them along with the last crop of carrots, those can be made into sweet cakes without ever using the expensive sugar. Finn's hand cart was nearby, along with the two next door shop keepers who were also using it along with them to pile their purchases onto it. As people paid to knit for rich ladies far too busy for such a task they often knitted the yarn Rey spun, and smiled brightly towards her. A thunderous bellow of trumpets and everyone in the now thriving market turned towards the noise. Royal guards in gold and silver walked out, and several began to place long sheets of announcements on the wooded posts. One stood by one, and faced everyone. Stony and looking like he'd like to be any where else he bellowed out everyone there. 

"THE HERO OF ASH HAS CALLED TO EVERYONE TO BE PREPARED. HE IS NOW GOING TO CHOOSE A NEW FIGHTER IN ORDER TO SLAY THE BLACK KING." he yelled out, and gestured vaguely towards the notice. "EVERYONE WILL BE REQUIRED TO COME BEFORE THE BLADE AND SEE IF THEY ARE WORTHY." Rey's heart beat rose up in fear as he went on describing on the schedule of who is going to be pushed to the sword. Mostly they were just going to carry it in the streets in the mornings to the throng of people going to work, and shopping, until they were going to sit in front of the gates of the rich and royals as people came up to them to see if they were worthy of it while the Ashen Hero watched them. Everyone was going to get a chit once 'scanned' that can be exchanged for goods, or alcohol. People didn't just flood out to the papers, they nearly stampeded to it, leaving her, Finn and a few others to get their things back home. Rey waved towards Poe who while not looking deeply troubled she could feel was unsettled. 

She touched the paper in her clothes staring after him for a moment. 'remember the story' he had told her, she frowned. Darkness, she needed to look at the paper in complete darkness she would guess. She prepared herself to do so tonight when she got back to her home, even if it did promise to snow again tonight. Rey couldn't trust anyone with her secret no matter how nice they were, she was after all worth her weight in gold as a voice that would plague her nightmares. Never trust anyone the kind man had said, she trusted that kind man, he had saved her life, and that was all the reason she needed to trust him. These people in here? She knew that trusting them was something she could never do. 

* * *

 

Poe got off his job and hiked it to his home waving to a few people he was friendly with keeping his pleasant mask of general cheerfulness. His mom was a baker, right now she was baking twisted bread treats that she'd sell for the holiday fest. He frowned and she nodded to him as she twisted more bread into shape near the sweltering ovens. "Did you find what you needed yet?" she asked him and he shook his head. 

"No, it seemed like there is no place for someone like her to hide." he told her, his mother sighed sadly. "But we were able to get three more out today with the new snow tunnels." she smiled again, fishing up this batch of twists and pushing them into the ovens. "Do you think this one could be in the castle?" 

"Your sister is nursing the queens child, she'd have heard of it." she told him and he slumped into a chair putting his hands into his face. "Why is THIS demi so important to everyone?" she asked him. 

"Moths are rare, and the guy who tells me this says he believes he is the only one of his kind left. For all we know he is." he replied and she settled down by him. He grimaced putting a hand to his face before pushing away the disappointment as he tried to help all the people who were his allies. "Enough of this, I think I found someone who can keep on eye on people buying slaves. Some beggar girl, no one will think twice about her there." His mother nodded and stood up to mix up another batch of twists. 

"Well, I hope that you can get the last of them out of the city soon." she stated and he smiled towards her. 

"Do you think you'll be making up more of the apple pies soon?" he asked her and she shook her head with a scoff. 

"Between you and all my customers its a wonder I don't go bankrupt." she told him, but she did have a few that were cooling down. He got dressed into his civilian clothes before taking a few to both eat himself, and to give to Rey. His mother passed him a small set of the twists before heading out to the shopfront to open it with his father who was cleaning up the store to make it nearly sparkle. He looked forward to Rey's bright smile when he gave her the pies, it seemed like she really liked the spices in them, and he was more then happy to give her all he could without arising her suspicious nature. Always so skittish of getting close to people he hoped that she'd be a great asset in helping the rebellion of the demis. 

All that he'd ask of her was just to keep a look out. They had those and used specific night bird calls to tell when the guards changed or when they could attack and overpower the guards to mass free those people. He didn't think she would go for it, but maybe he could get he more confident. It was possible he figured as he strolled down the block towards that wool shop and head her laughing lightly that she could have been raised by demi's. Or be one of the rare half demi's, he was more sure of that one as he knocked on the door. The old woman blinked at him and Rey straightened eyes going wide. "I just brought some pies and honey twists." he explained as the old woman stared at him confused. "For my favorite tale teller!" Rey brightened and smiled to him, as he laid out the pies and honey twists to the group. 

"Thank you Poe!" she told him and he grinned. The two, Finn and Maz looked to him, and he was at least partly sure that they too suspected her nature. He wasn't even sure about just how many rebellion soldiers were in the entire city. It was more of a safety measure, there were groups he knew, and every group wasn't exactly led by one person. He was part of those that were trying to get all the slaves out of the city. He knew there were information spies, and even more spies and soldiers all around. His eyes glanced around the shop and couldn't exactly see anything of the rebellion. 

"Gods Speed." Maz said as he waved at the door. He blinked and nodded to her and looked to Rey. "I guess we both think the same." she stated and smiled. Poe chuckled and nodded to her. "Keep on your toes young man." 

"Yes ma'am." He bowed to her and left. Maybe he couldn't recruit her, he'd have to be careful. Just meeting another sect of the rebellion was dangerous in this city. If he was captured he could be the downfall of two entire sects. He shivered as the temperature dropped with completely black sky and only the lanterns of the city to light his way he knew there would be more snow tonight. Which was even better, they could probably get ten more demi's out tonight if it snowed. He smiled to himself, it was unlikely anyone would suspect him, or Maz of their leanings. Lots of people held distaste for the slave market so even if it was revealed he didn't like it, it would be a drop in the bucket. 

* * *

 

Rey shivered in the clear late morning air, after a truly massive snow that required every able male and female to clear the streets and to line the snow up outside the city she walked along with Finn to the second day of the celebration. He was heading to the main gathering point where there was now long lines of men and women all waiting to be tested. But that was on the way to the outside and to the dyers place. It was there her shipment of silk was, having just finished the dyeing process, and she was required to spin it into threads for weaving. He was carrying a hand cart with her, as this was a LOT of stuff and there was even a single guard with them. He was serious and dressed in painted gold and orange armor. 

"So... who exactly hired... me?" Rey asked Finn lowly. He turned to her and smiled. 

"The queen. She wants to make a tapestry." Rey blanched feeling the need to run. "Its okay! I know, this whole thing is stressful. You don't have to be perfect." she shivered again and nodded. 

"Its... really important to you and Maz?" she asked him. Finn nodded. 

"Yes it is, its very important! To get this much of a patron?" she grimaced and they stalled after passing a gate that was just a rope, no one accosted them as they gathered the frail looking 'silk' fibers. She ran one through her hands with a frown. The fibers broke off far to easily, and were brittle almost like thin stalks of dried wheat or grass.

"These aren't silk..." she mumbled and Finn blinked to her. The guard straightened and looked down at her then to the older man who had handed them over. The dyer blanched however and after a frantic series of apologies got boxes and boxes of the true silk fibers. The guard was mostly silent in the dyer took back the frailer looking silk which turned out to be a type of synthetic silk the mages were trying to make. Silk was expensive and just about as worth its weight in pure gold for the drive to make alternatives. Rey had slid some of the fibers into her clothes as he took them back to examine them later, however, now back to the shop which held two more guards, she, Finn and Maz quickly set to work. 

The silk fibers were all laid out gently in the boxes, and she pulled them out, they were hair fine, and even finer, as the tapestry was made from wool and silk she needed to make these shiny gold colored silk hanks into tapestry wool hanks. It wouldn't take too long for her to do, Finn and Maz started to feed the long hanks towards her as she set up the hand spinning wheel. These were too delicate to trust a larger contraption to her. And despite the looks of Finn and Maz, she closed her eyes and started to feed the long fibers into the hand spindle. Twisting all the fibers together, and feeling the fine hairs on her hands smooth out stray breaks and fiber ends. One bobbin after the other went into a box as the same guard loomed over them. 

It took till the end of the day to finally finish for her, a true record from the looks of the guards as they locked up the boxes of thicker silk bobbins. Rey felt exhausted and blanched a bit as she discovered some of her hairs on her fingers missing. But there was no way she could say anything about it. The guards handed over a small box and the moment Maz opened it Rey was hit with a huge wave of that 'lure' feeling. She repressed it down, as Maz settled in a portion away into a small bag and handed it over to Rey. She shivered as the put the gold into her clothes and swallowed down the guards leaving the workshop. "Thank you so much Rey!" Maz told her. She looked up after the guards and slowly handed Rey a small parchment paper. "If you want to stay... look at it in the dark." Rey's eyes went wide as the old woman caught her hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. 

Rey pulled back and fled, unable to feel like she could do anything else at the moment. The Lure on the coins pulled at her to go to a small bank, to exhange the coins, to store them and she ignored the feeling to not go back home, but to go to one of the markets. She bought out some more animal carcasses, salted and smoked, hard cheese, breads, and only took enough of that to last her, though nearly starving to store in her home. The rest, she presented to the homeless people who were in the bottom of her tower. They all thanked her, hugging her almost painfully before she could flee back to her home. Lure coins gone to nothing but coppers and clipped pennies she sighed in relief as the moon rose into the night sky. 

Slipping into her tent, Rey finally pulled out the two sheets of paper and they glowed briefly in the darkness of the tent before revealing the contents. The symbol of the rebellion, a winged sort of symbol in black. It flared, and then vanished, the parchment crumbling to dust after it. Her heart beat in her chest. The rebellion, the ones trying to help all the demi's out and into their own lands without humans who wanted to kill them, or harm them. Rey had been thrust into the one thing she didn't exactly ever want, she just wanted to live her life, and now two people she knew and cared for were both rebels. They were both wanting HER to work for the rebellion. The evidence was gone however and she could relax a little, ignoring them seemed the best bet or telling them no. This was a way to get dead, this was a way for someone to find her out and kill her. Not just kill her, but end her life slowly and painfully. She settled into the warm bed and stared up at the darkness, completely unsure as to what to do with her life now, she wanted to live, that she knew. 

Rey grimaced, she had to leave the city. She had to run and find another home and place that wouldn't sell her. She knew the allure of what she was even for a rebellion solider, was far to much for anything else. Any Rebel would sell her, she was sure about that. The king laid a price of a fully living and breathing one of her kind as a kings ransom. No one would ever deny that. Resolving this, Rey counted out all the coins she had left, in order to not face the lure of the gold and silver she'd need a heavy box of copper... or pay to go with a train of people leaving the city. This winter, when the Last Night celebration took hold there would be a lot of people coming into the city, she could pay to leave with one of the groups. Plan set Rey pulled the covers over her, feeling a little sick at leaving the comfort here and all her friends. But she could never chance anyone, even those who were all for her kind to reveal herself. And be rest assured she would be revealed if she joined, and just as assured they would sell her. She was utterly convinced of that. 


End file.
